First Lady On Ballot In N.y.

Republican Disarray Gave The New York Democratic Convention An Even More Festive Air.

May 17, 2000|By Dallas Morning News

ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Democrats made it official Tuesday: Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first first lady to be nominated for high political office, namely the U.S. Senate.

Now all she needs is an opponent.

The once-inevitable Republican contender, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, now looks decidedly questionable, thanks to weeks of publicity about his prostate cancer, the very public dissolution of his marriage and his personal relationship with another woman.

So as the New York Democratic Party Convention formally put Clinton's name on the ballot, state Republicans continued to wonder if they will have to scramble for a new candidate, less than two weeks before their own conclave on May 30.

The Republican disarray lent an even more festive air to the three-hour Democratic convention in downtown Albany's Pepsi Arena. About 4,000 of the faithful cheered Clinton's bid to replace retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a fellow Democrat.

``I can think of no better candidate to continue the proud tradition of Robert Kennedy and Pat Moynihan,'' said Judith Hope, chairwoman of the New York State Democratic Committee. Kennedy, a former attorney general, also moved into New York specifically to run for the Senate - for the very seat, in fact, that Clinton hopes to claim. He won in 1964, four years before a presidential bid that ended with his assassination.

Some analysts believe a successful Senate race could also vault Clinton into presidential politics, though she has pledged to serve out the six-year Senate term.

Convention delegates called Clinton a pioneer in child development and education.

But critics revile her as a carpetbagger and a shameless opportunist. And despite the recent publicity surrounding Giuliani, she remains locked in a dead heat with the mayor in the Senate race.

A year ago, the New York Democrats stood in suspended animation as Clinton decided whether to run. Now the Republicans wait on Giuliani.